The is me with my PhD thesis. I wrote it, submitted it, planned for an absolute grilling in the Viva, got waved through the Viva with just minor corrections for grammar, went overzealous with corrections, submitted for review, got accepted, finally graduated.

It still makes me sick to look at it on my bookshelf.

This really makes me grin, as I’ve argued these “theological debates” on multiple sides depending on which splatbook I’m into at the time. I’ve definitely been on both sides of the Caine vs Prime Archmage debate.

Jarl Balgruuf energy.

Do they have a different tattoo or are you referring to the one circling their arm? It looks like the inscription on the One Ring to me, though I definitely could be wrong.

You know you’re never going to get any hard evidence other than surface-level stuff that they can get from their bigot blogs, because bigots hate actually engaging with media.

I’ve been experimenting with short rests. A 1-2 hour nap when I get home gives me the energy for activities, rather than droning through activities like a zombie for the sake of another couple hours.

Inventory management can be fun if implemented well by the system. See Traveller. “We’ve got 3dT of cargo space left. The locals are paying crap for petrochemicals but they’re having a fire sale on marble. If we basically give away that benzene that no one’s bought in 3 months, we can fill up on marble that some architect will definitely snatch up at the next class A starport.”

It’s a difficult one to rule, as suddenly being meticulous about positioning and line of sight telegraphs that the players should suddenly be focused on these things. I usually just have them roll luck or try to perceive the threat before they accidentally trigger its ability. If they fail, they get a Medusa blast

Please give it a spin if you haven’t already. Game mechanics need not be constrained to die roll plus modifier. Probably my favourite mechanic is that your level of aptitude in a skill is repesented by the size of die you roll. Also, Savage worlds were doing rerolls for good roleplay in the form of bennies for a few years before D&D dreamed up advantage and inspiration.

I also love playing a Huckster in Deadlands. The poker hand mechanic to essentially perform wild magic is ridiculously evocative.

I’m really singing its praises here, but I really love the classless edge system of Savage Worlds. I’ve never come up against the problem I have with other RPGs where I have to force the mechanics to fit my concept. Want a plate armoured wizard? 2 edges, playable as a beginner character.

I have started doing that actually. I’ve moved over mainly to Call of Cthulhu, which has very fast and easy combat. I’ve had some great descriptions of combat manoeuvres that net a bonus die.

Someone after my own heart. Say what you’re going to say and I’ll decide the DC. Just say “please” and probably get a straight check DC 12-14. Insult the guard’s mother and children will likely get a DC of at least 15 and maybe disadvantage. Going above and beyond probably doesn’t require a roll and nets you inspiration.

Savage Worlds does this right with wounds. Anything under a great success leaves the character shaken, so that they must save of lose their turn. Every wound is a cumulative -1 on all rolls. 4 wounds and you’re out of the fight.

I absolutely love Lancer memes. They always come across like the rants of a corporate shill.

These are actually my table’s favourite type interactions. Comically appropriate flubs. The funniest one from recent memory is playing arkham horror (card game with a bag if random tokens). I was attempting a dex check against falling down some stairs and was fine for every token in the bag except for the “you fail” chaos token. So confident was I that I declared “watch this”, a maneuver where I bet money and double my bet on a success.

Well I pull the crit fail token, lose all my money, tumble down the stairs taking damage, and land in a room with a fellow wanting a fight.

Edit: I remember the instance that began our fascination with fumbles. Playing the Witcher RPG, I was a dwarf merchant, another player a witcher. Coming up against a locked door, I declared that I was dramatically diving through the window. My Reflexes (REF) are abysmal but I play my characters suicidal anyway. Rolled a 10 on a d10 (dice explode), rolled another 10, etc. rolled a 36 with 3 REF, which means my unadjusted roll was 33.

The witcher, not wanting to be upstaged and having super high REF, dives through another window. Only he rolls a 1 (which explodes, except the total die roll is subtracted from your REF score). Naturally he fails and gashes his leg on a shard of glass. And thus an obsession with fumbling rolls was born